20-Student Classes Possible in Fall, School Officials Say

Classes for first- and second-graders in Newport-Mesa Unified School District can be pared to 20 students by the fall, district officials said Monday.

But yet to be worked out is whether that will be achieved by opening one of the district’s currently unused schools, buying portable classrooms or putting two teachers in one room. Also to be determined is where the money will come from for new teachers.

The school board will meet Thursday to wrestle with ways to pare class size to take advantage of a state grant that will give $650 per student to districts that reduce their classes to 20 students.

Even after the grant, reducing class sizes will cost the district about $700,000 a year, Supt. Mac Bernd said.

“We are excited about the possibility of doing it,” Bernd said. “But it is important for the community to understand we have limited resources. In order to do this, we will be using resources that would normally go somewhere else.”

Bernd said finding the necessary funds will be difficult for Newport-Mesa, where revenue from property tax has been declining in recent years.

The meeting will take place at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Harper Community Center at 425 E. 18th St. in Costa Mesa. Information: (714) 760-3500.